Emails from Superintendent Stephen Murley to Iowa City Community School Board leaders say that Murley took 34 days off to do paid consulting work for three organizations during the past five school years.

The emails, written by the Iowa City Community School District's superintendent and provided to the Press-Citizen by School Board President Chris Lynch, say that Murley made plans to take 13 days off for consulting work this school year.

Lynch said in an interview that the work outlined in the emails does not violate Murley's contract with the district and "brings value" to the district because it relates to his job as superintendent.

"The work has actually been very complementary to his current role," he said.

Murley's contract says that while he may serve as a consultant, lecture or engage in writing or speaking activities, or other activities, these activities must not impede his duties as superintendent. His contract for the current school year says he may take up to 30 vacation days and up to 10 paid leave days during which he can consult or do similar activities "that will contribute to the betterment of the district."

The School Board made plans last week to discuss paid leave days in the superintendent's contract at its Nov. 24 meeting.

Roark Horn, executive director of School Administrators of Iowa, has said it's not uncommon for superintendents to engage in outside consulting work. School Administrators of Iowa is a statewide organization representing Iowa educational administrators, and Horn is a former superintendent.

The Iowa Freedom of Information Council urged the school board in an email earlier this month to publicly share information Murley disclosed to the board concerning his consulting work.

Questions raised over superintendent's consulting work

Questions regarding Murley's consulting arose among school board members and others following news of a corruption scandal involving SUPES Academy, a Chicago educational training company for which Murley has consulted.

In October the former chief executive of the Chicago public school system, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, pleaded guilty in federal court to accepting bribes and kickbacks in exchange for steering $23 million in contracts to SUPES Academy, her former employer.

Questions about possible conflicts of interest in Iowa City arose regarding the district's decision to hire companies affiliated with SUPES. Synesi Associates was hired in 2011 to conduct an audit of the district's finances and operations and PROACT Search was hired in 2014 to recruit candidates for the district's vacant director of equity and staffing position.

The emails, which come in response to a Press-Citizen request under the Freedom of Information Act, say that Murley consulted for SUPES during the 2012-13 and 2014-15 school years, and he has plans to consult for the company under its new name, Atlantic Research Partners, on four days this school year.

Murley also did paid consulting work between 2010-11 and 2015-16 for Virginia-based American Association of School Administrators and Illinois-based Education Research and Development Institute, according to the emails.

The emails say he does unpaid consulting work, for which he took no days off between 2010 and this year, for McPherson & Jacobson, based out of Omaha, Neb.

Murley reported receiving compensation for the three paid consulting jobs ranging from $23 per hour to $44 per hour, according to the emails. His pay for work with SUPES and Atlantic ranged from $39 per hour to $44 per hour.

Chace Ramey, the district's chief communications and human resources officer, said the district had no record listing all district central administrators who have done paid consulting work for SUPES Academy.

Ramey confirmed earlier this month that he also consulted for SUPES from July 2014 until roughly February and said the situation involving Byrd-Bennett and SUPES is "horrible."